Missing yachtie Alan Langdon and daughter Que have been found alive in New South Wales

Alan Langdon and his daughter Que are alive and well in NSW.Source:Supplied

IN a small catamaran with a broken rudder, and surrounded with enough food for a month, Alan Langdon and daughter Que battled the odds to make it to Australia alive.

The father and daughter were at sea for 27 days and not even extensive searches by New Zealand authorities were able to find them — leading many to think they had perished at sea.

On Wednesday came the stunning news they had arrived in Australia, at Ulladulla on the NSW south coast. Their boat was battered, but they were alive.

Pictures of the damaged catamaran at Ulladulla dwarfed between fishing and dive boats more suited to the Tasman show just how small it is.

Mr Langdon, 46, said of the “uncomfortable” journey: “I tell you I learnt a lot about sailing.”

He had everything he needed to fix the rudder on-board but told the Milton and Ulladulla Times there was no time to do so.

They used on of the catamarans hulls to sleep in and the other for storage.

The most dramatic moments was when swells climbed the mast and “waves broke over the deck” but that only happened a few times.

He was in the middle of a custody dispute with his former wife, Que’s mother, Ariane Wyler, when he and the six-year-old disappeared.

Interpol also became involved after it was revealed Mr Langdon might head for Australia, where he previously lived and is a citizen.

The pair landed at Ulladulla on the New South Wales coast earlier this week, New Zealand Police and child recovery expert Col Chapman announced on Wednesday. Mr Langdon told the Times that he and Que were looking forward to much needed rest after the trip, for most of which they were left with just one rudder after the other broke.

Que Langdon.Source:Supplied

“Yes we are safe and well. We were always safe, we just couldn’t let anyone know.” He described his daughter as happy and revealed they saw lots of whales on their trip.

Photos of Mr Langdon’s boat show bags, including a child’s backpack, as well as packets of food, large plastic containers of water, a boogie board and several orange buckets.

Mr Langdon said he had not been able to contact Que’s mother but was “sure” the authorities had done so.

Chapman, who was hired by Ms Wyler to find Que, said the girl’s mother was over the moon to hear the pair had been found.

“We found him, we got him. It’s really good news on all fronts,” Chapman said from Australia.

“They landed in our predicted target area within the time frame. I don’t want to be alI ‘I told you so’ but ... they sailed straight there.”

Police have been concerned about the welfare of Alan Langdon and daughter Que.Source:Supplied

Ms Wyler separated from Mr Langdon last year and has been involved in a long-running dispute to see their daughter.

It’s believed Mr Langdon and Que had been in Australia for around two days before authorities were notified by a member of the public who had seen posters Mr Chapman’s agency had put up.

Mr Langdon told local media they changed course only when the rudder broke. He claimed he was heading for the Bay of Islands, in New Zealand’s Far North, but changed course.

“We were heading north and once the rudder broke we were heading back to New Zealand, but the wind blew us here.”

Mr Langdon is understood to be co-operating with Australian authorities but not clear if he will face any charges.

Que does not have a passport and the pair did not enter the country legally.

Police in New Zealand told The New Zealand Herald they would assess all the information about the Langdons’ reappearance and the background before deciding their next steps.